Homecoming
by xXxNeonSoundxXx
Summary: Kagami's apartment feels physically smaller, new furniture and objects filling up the once empty spaces of each room; however, he can't help but feel as if his home is still empty. Kagami/Reader


A shrill sound echoed through the small apartment, the mechanical noise repeating itself every few seconds with an incessant beep. It was loud enough to be heard throughout all the rooms, alerting anyone in the vicinity of the paper thin walls to hear it. A few decibels beneath that noise, the sound of a sizzling frying pan could be heard. Smoke and steam billowed from the searing metal, the former being the cause for the repetitive whine of the fire alarm. From another room, rushed footsteps followed by a heavy thud and loud cursing resounded.

"Damn it," Kagami growled the curse, reciting it over and over again as he reached for the fire alarm. "Damn it. Damn it!" Fingers fumbled around with the tiny machine for only a few seconds before finally finding the button that would turn it off. Pressing down, the shrill beeping came to a halt and the tall red head could once again hear himself think.

Replacing the fire alarm back onto the wall, Kagami turned his attention to the frying pan on his stove where the onions he had placed inside were quickly becoming akin to charcoal. He quickly stepped over to it, removing it from the heat completely and turning off the stove to avoid any more incidents. Looking at the now ruined vegetables, Kagami clicked his tongue before muttering, "I was only gone for a minute."

He set the unsalvageable pan of onions on an oven mitt where he would allow it to cool down before placing it in the sink. It sank into the mitt heavily, the metal bottom rounded and dented from a few moments of misuse. The sound of scorching metal meeting chilled water was still fresh in his memories, reminding him of every moment that caused the cookware to bend out of shape. Of course, it hadn't been his fault; he knew better than to put hot metal under the flow of water.

Grabbing the plate with his still warm burger from off the kitchen counter, the tall man slowly sulked his way over to the place he deemed the living room. He would have to deal with eating his food without any grilled onions to accompany his meal.

He sat on the left side of the couch, one hand holding onto his plate of food while the other switched on his television with the remote that had been sitting nearby. After a few moments of channel surfing, Kagami started to feel a bit awkward with the empty space occupying the right half of his couch. He shifted in his seat, placing his legs on the other half of the couch so that he could lounge on it. Content with his efficient use of space, Kagami went back to changing television stations until he was finally satisfied with something to watch.

There was a movie on, Kagami noted as he took a large bite out of his burger. Chewing slowly, he watched the characters interact with each other. After five minutes, it had become apparent to him that the movie was a romance—though it took the main characters suddenly making out with each other for him to realize. Feeling a knot form in his stomach, Kagami reached for the remote and quickly shut off the television. Once again, the apartment was silent.

With nothing better to do, Kagami once again felt the need to look around at his surroundings. Taking more bites out of his burger, he observed the subtle differences that had come to his apartment over the past few years. Though the color of the walls had remained the same, they were more heavily decorated, framed pictures of special moments and posters pinned up in random places. An entire bookshelf took up part of the wall space, filled to the brim with books that Kagami neither heard of nor read.

Kagami had finished his burger while he was distracted by the room. Setting his plate on the floor and closing his eyes, he leaned back into the couch as he imagined the bedroom where he lay in bed every night. He had traded his single mattress in for a queen sized bed a year ago, finally able to afford the larger mattress, and the wooden frame took up quite a bit of floor space. The desk he had in his room had to be moved to the opposite wall, facing away from the window. There were two chairs resting near it and Kagami would often prop his feet up on the second chair, pretending he was in a hammock as he lazed some days away.

It was true that, within the years after graduating high school, the apartment had gotten fuller with the introduction of more furniture and decorations, but Kagami couldn't help but feel as if it was still empty.

The red head had just started dozing off when a familiar sound started resonating throughout the apartment. At first, through the haze of sleep, Kagami thought it was the sound of his fire alarm going off again. Sitting up in a panic, he looked around for the source of the offending noise, but soon realized that his original thought had been false. The noise wasn't from the fire alarm.

Feeling around his person, he searched for the only other thing that could be making the incessant ringing. He pulled a cellphone from his pocket, flipping it open and placing the speaker against his ear impatiently. "Hello?"

He was met with silence for a few seconds, though there was clearly another person on the line—he could hear them breathing. Feeling his patience waning, the brash young adult was just about to give his caller a piece of his mind when a quiet and formal, "Kagami-kun" was heard.

"Kuroko?" Kagami asked, confusion laden in his voice as he tried to understand his friend. "What the hell? Why are you calling?"

"Other than work, you haven't gone out of your apartment for a while," Kuroko stated calmly, almost as if he were speaking to one of his students. "Let's go play some basketball. For old time's sake."

Kagami hesitated in answering. It was true that he hadn't been out of his home for recreational purposes in a while and the apartment was started to feel a tad suffocating despite its emptiness. Drawing in a breath, Kagami said, "Sure. When should I meet you?"

"Right now," Kuroko said hastily. "I'm already outside." The soft-spoken male ended the call promptly, leaving Kagami no time to retort at Kuroko's bad timing.

Growling out some offensive curses, Kagami stood from his seat on the couch, the sore muscles in his back protesting as he did so. He stretched a bit before heading for his front door, ignoring his dirty plate that he had left on the floor beside the couch. His socked feet dragged along the wooden floor, making no sound as he made his way to the entrance. If Kuroko wanted to play right at that moment, he would have to deal with Kagami being dressed in only a wife beater and sweatpants.

Grabbing his keys off the new veranda near his front door, the tall red head swiftly and expertly pulled on his sneakers before opening the door to his residence. He set his gaze to the outside world, a semi-bored expression creating a mask on his face. The sunlight danced through the sky, bouncing off cars that were driving on the road and causing some glare to hit his eyes. With a scowl, Kagami turned to close the door behind him, locking it so ensure no intruders would make house in his apartment.

"Where you going, Taiga?"

Despite being turned away from the voice—which had caught him completely off guard—Kagami instantly recognized its owner. Fearing that it was a dream, he stopped himself from turning fully around. Instead, he went for a retort to the voice, but soon found that his own voice box was unwilling to cooperate. A thick lump had lodged itself in his throat, making it hard for him to breathe let alone speak. He would have to turn and face the person.

Taking a tentative step, he shifted the one-hundred and eighty degrees to face the person of interest. The first thing he noticed was the dark black boots he had watched walk away from him only months ago. Accompanying them were different shades of green, the camouflage doing little to meld the person into the off white walls of the surrounding buildings. There were patches on the left breast of their uniform top, their last name neatly embroidered with gold stitches.

"Taiga."

At the call of his name, he dared a look at the person's face. Familiar eyes and a warm smile met his gaze and, blinking back the tears that threatened to form in his eyes, he rushed forward. Strong arms encircled his waste, returning the squeezing hug that Kagami was giving the person. Despite having not shed any tears, the red head could feel a rawness in his throat as he repeated their name like a mantra. He buried his nose into the crook of their neck, inhaling their scent with a shuddering breath. He could already feel the creeping blush forming on his cheeks and neck, embarrassed by his current public display of affection, but not caring in the least as he engulfed the one person he had been deprived of for so long.

"[Name]," he gasped, pushing them away at arm's length for only a moment before instantly pulling them back in for a hug. "You're home."

[Name]'s body was shaking in his arms and soft sobs escaped their lips. Kagami could feel fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt, threatening to never let go. "Yes, I'm home," [Name] answered through their crying. He could feel them nod against his chest, their laugh evident in their voice despite the tears that were surely running down their face.

The honk of a car's horn caught both their attentions and, wiping the tears and fluids that had escaped their eyes and noses, they both looked out towards the street. Kagami noticed a familiar blue eyed former teammate in the driver's seat of a car. Kuroko waved briefly, flashing the pair a small smile before driving away from the scene. Kagami twitched a bit, thinking about how that sneaky bastard had once again pulled the wool over his eyes.

But for good reason.

Returning his gaze back to his lover, Kagami gave them a gentle smile. He picked up the heavy suitcase they had carried with them, nodding his head towards their front door. Understanding his gesture, [Name] unlocked and opened the door, waltzing in before Kagami. Watching them prance through the rooms as if they hadn't left at all, the former high school basketball player felt as if his home wasn't so empty anymore.

In fact, it was perfect once again.


End file.
